Classic, warm and beachy, these were the adjectives my client used when describing to me how she wanted her home’s living room/dining room and kitchen to feel. She also wanted to have lots of storage in all three rooms. And we achieved just that. I visited her last week and took some photos to show just how great the transformation turned out.

This is the view from the entry now.

After – beachy living and dining room

The befores:

I did up a couple of mood boards and sourced products for her so that she could follow the plan along at her own pace as her time and budget allowed. She also has an extremely handy father who did alot of the hands on work. Trades people were hired for the jobs that were not DIY and I think this makeover shows just how much you can do on a fairly strict budget.

So obviously this was a fairly extensive makeover, new hardwood floors were installed in a medium tone brown to keep the look classic and timeless. The dining table was an existing one that her father had made so it was incorporated into the space. The sofa was custom made and the case goods were picked up from big box stores.

I suggested that she use some of her own family pictures in the 4 large frames and they have turned out perfectly. She already has plans to rotate in some newer pictures. The drapery was ready made and adds some graphic pattern to the palette.

The bird and octopus artwork was purchased by my client on her yearly trips to Prince Edward County and they are the perfect compliment to the space.

Now onto the kitchen. Here’s what it looks like now.

And here’s the befores:

We continued with the same drapery as the living room and dining room as the windows are literally right beside each other. The hardwood floor was continued throughout the kitchen as well to keep the flow from room to room. The existing dark wood cabinetry was painted out to match the new pantry and open shelving.

An antique feeling dark wood table was added to tie in with the dark wood floors and the chairs were my client’s grandmothers, which serendipiously match the table perfectly. I selected a clear glass pendant to keep the sight lines open to the new backyard deck, as well as a glass and gold flush mount fixture (not shown) for the working area of the kitchen. Under cabinet lighting was also added during the renovation.

The bronze/gold Brizo Talo faucet sparkles like a piece of jewelry on the Caesarstone Quartz white counter and the backsplash is actually tile that looks so much like barn wood, you have to touch it to believe it.

These extra cabinets added much needed storage to the space challenged kitchen and a little touch of display area, which can be changed out to a bar or appetizer area when guests are expected.

This long, long wall opposite the stove, was treated to some softly textured wallpaper that is wipeable and adds a little extra pattern to the kitchen. My client found these adorable mirror spheres that hide the unused and unsightly phone outlet.

The Brizo Talo faucet.

Some added display area that also showcases the backsplash.

My client is thrilled with her home and it’s new look. She says when she gets home she breathes a happy sigh and settles in for some R & R. Which just makes me smile!

Happy New Year! I hope 2017 is being kind to you so far. It has been wonderful to me. We escaped for a week right after Christmas to Cuba for a little R&R. It was wonderful to put my feet in the sand instead of heavy winter boots, even if it was just for a short while.

While we were there, we ventured to the Varadero Market to check out some artists. I love to buy pieces of art while we are away to capture the feel and beauty of a country. And Cuba doesn’t disappoint with their many talented and creative artists.

We bought a typical Cuban scene of a colourful street with a 1950’s vintage automobile, of course. The colours are so vibrant, we were smitten at first sight!

I’m thinking it will be absolutely stunning in my new navy dining room. Here’s a picture my son in law took on Christmas day of my holiday table, below.

So now how to finish it? Do I stretch and frame or just simply stretch it? Well, I put the question to my followers on FB and the response was overwhelmingly to have it stretched.

But I guess, I don’t follow advice too well, as I’m having it framed.

My reasons are because the dining room is more formal so a frame feels right but actually, the artwork made my decision fairly easy. As you will see in the photo below.

Do you see how the terra cotta colour is kind of creeping out of the edges of the paint on the sides and bottom? It would look really unfinished if you could see that on the sides of it once it was on the wall. You could paint the sides I suppose as I have other mounted pieces done that way, but I didn’t want to play with the integrity of the painting. The other option was to still stretch it but to bring the painting over the sides so that there was no unfinished sides but then I’d lose the artist’s signature and shrink the size of the art. Not what I wanted to do.

And there was another plus to having it framed, Michael’s was having a framing sale and if you choose a sale priced frame the cost of the stretching was also on sale. So even though stretching was cheaper, for only slightly more money, it will be stretched and framed.

So there you have it, it will be stretched and framed. I decided on no matting as I wanted to keep it relatively simple and clean. I went with the frame in the picture above. It’s a soft black and has a slight texture which gives it a little bit of a rustic feel to it, kind of like the painting itself. Even though, it’s going in my dining room, I didn’t want it to be too formal and I certainly didn’t want a busy frame as the painting has alot going on. I wanted the piece to shine out of the frame, if that makes any sense.

So sorry, to those of you who voted for stretching only. I’ll post a picture once it’s done and in place and you can see what you think.

So I haven’t picked up a paint brush in a few months, and I’m getting the itch. So, which room will get hit first? Hhmmm……I’m thinking……dining room. I have been toying with the idea of painting it navy blue for a few years… and yes, that is procrastination at it’s finest.

I have always been a navy lover, just ask my 20+ year old navy living room sofa. So it’s a natural progression to paint the dining room a navy, since both rooms are open to each other. Here’s a couple of the contenders.

Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy HC-154

Farrow & Ball – Stiff Key Blue

Benjamin Moore’s Van Deusen Blue HC-156

Benjamin Moore’s Evening Dove 2128-30

Benjamin Moore’s Stunning – 826

All are dark, moody and would be spectacularly gorgeous with a gleaming gold light fixture. Some are a lot darker than they appear, at least on my screen. So, there will be some wall tests, for sure. Then I suppose, I will need to get new dining chairs, drapery and artwork, you know how things snowball when you start painting. I can certainly see where this is going……

I’ve been helping a client with furnishing and finishing her home, for the past few months. We started with her main floor, which includes a living/family room, dining area and kitchen as one large open space. She is a chic and modern lady with a hint of tradition and we are doing her home in the same fashion.

Leading the design is her beautiful and colourful collection of modern Indian artwork. The vibrant, blues, greens, purples, yellows and reds will be the focus of the space so the rest of the furnishings will be calmer and more neutral. Accessories will be the final touch to marry everything with the vibrant colours of the artwork.

So far, we’ve chosen this beautiful sofa, shown here in leather but we had it done in a beautiful soft charcoal gray wool. It’s gorgeous and all that tufting is STUNNING!

Together with this sofa, will be two of these curvy leather chairs in a metallic taupe that I am swooning over.

We’ve also chosen this large modern dining table. It has a wood grain veneer that has a high sheen and in a charcoal gray it is pure glam.

So up next is wallpaper for the TV/console wall. My client requested one that had an india feel and this one is on the short list. Hard to see in the photo but it has a wonderful metallic sheen that ties into the dining table and the leather finish on the chairs.

Next up, we will be choosing a entertainment console and dining chairs. These chairs are being considered as the yellow/green will contrast nicely with the dining table and will pick up on the artwork.